RSI joins Global Coalition urging UN to Address China’s Human Rights Abuses

Rights and Security International joins a global coalition urging UN to address China’s human rights abuses. More than 300 organizations joined the call for an international mechanism. See the letter below:

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We, the undersigned organizations, join together to call for an international mechanism to address the Chinese government’s human rights violations, and urge you to take decisive action to achieve this goal.

On 26 June 2020, an unprecedented 50 United Nations experts called for “decisive measures to protect fundamental freedoms in China.” They highlighted China’s mass human rights violations in Hong Kong, Tibet, and Xinjiang,  suppression of information in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, and attacks on rights defenders, journalists, lawyers and critics of the government across the country.

Our organizations are also concerned about the impact of China’s rights violations world-wide. China has targeted human rights defenders abroad, suppressed academic freedom in countries around the world, and engaged in internet censorship and digital surveillance. We deplore China’s promotion of rights-free development and the ensuing environmental degradation at the hands of government-backed extractive industries, as well as the racist treatment of people in China, or by Chinese state actors in other parts of the world.

We are dismayed at China’s efforts to distort the mandate of the UN Human Rights Council by promoting  “cooperation” over accountability, and opposing initiatives to bring scrutiny of serious rights violations and international crimes in countries around the world. It has used its seat on the UN’s NGO Committee to baselessly deny accreditation to nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), while accrediting government-organized NGOs (GoNGOs). It has sought to deny access to human rights defenders to UN premises, denounced speakers on NGO side events as “terrorists,” and threatened delegates to deter them from attending UN side events on rights violations, including abuses in Xinjiang.

When the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Special Procedures, and dozens of states urged China to comply with international human rights standards, China contended that they were “improper remarks” that “grossly interfered” with China’s sovereignty.

A state that tries to hold itself above any kind of scrutiny presents a fundamental threat to human rights.  That China—a state with extraordinary global power—expects such treatment affects us all. 

We therefore endorse the call by UN experts for a Special Session of the Human Rights Council to evaluate the range of violations by China’s government, and to establish an impartial and independent UN mechanism to closely monitor, analyze, and report annually on that topic.  We urge the UN Secretary-General to appoint a Special Envoy, consistent with his Call to Action on Human Rights, and we call on the High Commissioner for Human Rights to fulfil her independent mandate to monitor and publicly report on China’s sweeping rights violations. We support the call that UN member states and UN agencies use all interactions with Chinese authorities to insist that the government comply with its international human rights obligations.

We write in the spirit of global solidarity and partnership, urging that you act swiftly to counter and remediate grave human rights violations committed by Chinese authorities. No state should be above the law.

Sincerely,

21Wilberforce

ACAT Belgium

ACAT Germany (Action by Christians for the Abolition of Torture)

ACAT-France (action des chrétiens pour l'abolition de la torture)

ACAT-Switzerland

Acceso a la Justicia

Access Now

Acción Solidaria

Action des Chrétiens pour l’Abolition de la Torture au Burundi(Acat-Burundi)

ACTION FOR DEVELOPMENT

Adivasi-Koordination in Germany

African Law Foundation (AFRILAW)

AfricanDefenders (Pan-African Human Rights Defenders Network)

Agir ensemble pour les droits de l'Homme

Agora Society Malaysia

Alliance Canada Hong Kong

Alliance des Avocats pour les Droits de l'Homme

ALTSEAN-Burma

Amnesty International

Amsterdam stands with Hong Kong

Arab Watch Regional Coalition

ARTICLE 19

Asia Democracy Network (ADN)

Asia Pacific Permanent Peace Alliance

Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD)

Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA)

Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL)

Asian Solidarity Council for Freedom and Democracy 

Asociación Civil Fuerza, Unión, Justicia, Solidaridad y Paz (FUNPAZ)

Asohorizonte

Australia Tibet Council

Australian Centre for International Justice

Australian Lawyers for Human Rights

Australian Uyghur Association

Bar Human Rights Committee of England and Wales

Benteng Heritage Musrum

Body & Data

Building Inclusive Society Tanzania Organization  (BISTO).

CADAL

Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies

Cambodia Center for Human Rights

Cambodian Alliance of Trade Union [CATU]

Cameroon Women's Peace Movement

Campaign for Uyghurs

Canada Tibet Committee (CTC)

Canada-Hong Kong Link

CAN-Myanmar

Central Taiwan Society

Centro de Documentación en Derechos Humanos "Segundo Montes Mozo SJ" (CSMM)

Centro de Justicia y Paz - Cepaz

Centro para la Paz y los Derechos Humanos Universidad Central de Venezuela

ChangSha FuNeng

China Aid

China Change

China Constitutional Democracy Promotion Association

Chinese Human Rights Defenders (CHRD)

CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation

Civilis Derechos Humanos

Clean Clothes Campaign

Coalition Burkinabé des Défenseurs des Droits Humains ( CBDDH)

Coalition des Defenseurs Des Droits Humais (Benin)CDDH-Benin

Coalition for Genocide Response

Coalition Togolaise des Défenseurs des Droits Humains (CTDDH)

COC Nederland

Comité Permanente de Derechos Humanos - ACUEM

Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative

COMPPART Foundation for Justice and Peacebuilding

Conectas Direitos Humanos

CSW (Christian Solidarity Worldwide)

DefendDefenders (East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project)

Defensa en Accion

Défenseur des droits de l'Homme au Niger

Democracy China Media

Dialogue China

Droits Humains Sans Frontières

East Turkistan Australian Association

ECPM

Endorois Welfare Council

Espacio Público

EXCUBITUS Derechos Humanos en Educacion

Families of Victims of Involuntary Disappearance (FIND)

Fédération Euro-méditerranéenne contre les disparitions forcées

Federation for a Democratic China 民主中国陣線

FIDA CAMEROON

FIDH

FOVIDA - Fomento de la Vida

Frankfurt Stands With Hong Kong

Free Tibet

Freedom House

Fridays for Future, PCT

Friends of Beanstalk Association, Taiwan

Friends of Canada India

Friends of Tibet - Austria

Friends of Tibet (NZ)

Front Line Defenders

FUNCAMAMA

Fundacion Aguaclara

Fundación La Tortuga

Fundación Prodefensa del Derecho a la Educación y la Niñez

Fundaciónpara el Debido Proceso Fundepro

Fundaval

Ghjtrn для трансгендерных людей и их близких T*Revers

GIN-SSOGIE

Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect

Global Justice Center

Global Pinoy Diaspora Canada

Green Advocates International

Groupe de Recherche et de Plaidoyer sur les Industries Extractives (GRPIE)

Grupo de Apoio ao Tibete-Portugal

Halifax Hong Kong Link

Hanbyun (Lawyers for Human Rights and Unification of Korea)

Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights

Hong Kong Affairs Association of Berkeley

Hong Kong Democracy Council (HKDC)

Hong Kong Global Connect

Hong Kong Watch

HRIC 

Human Rights Defenders Network-SL

Human Rights First

Human Rights Foundation (Japan)　【日本人権財団】

Human Rights in China

Human Rights Watch

Human Rights Without Frontiers International

Humanists International

Humanitarian China

Humanity Beyond Borders

ICNA Council for Social Justice

Illa Centro de Educación y Comunicación

In Defense of Human Rights and Dignity Movement (iDEFEND)

Independ Journalist Association of Vietnam

India Alliance for Child Rights

Institut des Médias pour la Démocratie et les Droits de l'Homme (IM2DH)

Institute for Asian Democracy

Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility

International Bar Association's Human Rights Institute

International Campaign for the Rohingya

International Campaign for Tibet

International Coalition for Papua

International Coalition for the Responsibility to Protect

International Commission of Jurists

International Society for Human Rights, Munich

International Tibet Network

ISHR

Japan Uyghur Association

Japan Uyghur Union

Judicial Reform Foundation

Justice Access Point Uganda

Kalikasan People's Network for the Environment (Kalikasan PNE)

Karapatan Alliance Philippines

KontraS (The Commission for the Disappeared and the Victims of Violence)

Lady Liberty Hong Kong

Lawyers for Lawyers

Lawyers' Rights Watch Canada

Le Comité pour la liberté à Hong Kong

Lesbian and Gay Federation in Germany LSVD

LGBT social movement "REVERS"

Liberty and Democracy Advocacy Club University of Calgary

Liên Đoàn Công Giáo Việt Nam tại Đức

Logos ID

MAFAPO ( madres de los falsos positivos de colombia)

Mazingira Network - Tanzania (MANET)

Meru youth empowerment centre

Miloon Kothari individually as an independent expert and former UN Special Rapporteur

MINBYUN - Lawyers for a Democratic Society International Solidarity Committee

Minority Rights Group International

Monitor Social A.C.

Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies

Mouvement Lao pour les Droits de l'Homme

Movimiento Manuela Ramos

Ms. Enakshi Ganguly individually as an independent expert

MUHURI (Muslims for Human Rights)

Nafas LGBT Azerbaijan Alliance

Nako cc

Namibia Diverse Women's Association (NDWA)

National Party of Japan

Netherlands for Hong Kong

NGURUKA DEVELOPMENT AGENCY

No Business With Genocide

NO FENCE

Northern California Hong Kong Club

NY4HK ( New Yorkers Supporting Hong Kong )

ONG DEMOCRACIA EMPRENDEDORA

ONG PAFED

Otus Books

Pacific Human Rights Initiative

PEN America

People Go Network

People's Watch

Persatuan Sahabat Wanita Selangor

Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates (PAHRA)

Philippine Human Rights Information Center

Planet Ally

Programa Venezolano de Educación-Acción en Derechos Humanos (Provea)

Progressive Voice

PROMEDEHUM

PSCORE (People for Successful COrean REunification)

Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights

Red Corpora en Libertad

Red de Activistas Ciudadanos por los Derechos Humanos (Redac)

René Cassin, the Jewish voice for human rights

Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF)

Réseau International des Droits Humains RIDH

Réseau Ouest Africain des Défenseurs des Droits Humains/West African Human Rights Defenders' Network

Réseau Saharaius

Rights and Security International

RUDM

RURAL DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE (RUWODI)

Safeguard Defenders

Save Our Borneo

Save Tibet Austria

Setara Institute for Democracy and Peace

SFT Japan

Society for Threatened Peoples - Germany

Solidarité Chine

Solidarity Sisters Network of Liberia (SoSNoL)

SOS TORTURE BURUNDI

Sounds of the Silenced

Southern Africa Human Rights. Defenderss Network- SAHRDN

Southern and Eastern Africa Trade Information and Negotiations Institute (SEATINI) Uganda

Southern Mongolia Congress

Sova Center for Information and Analysis

Stand with HK@JPN

Students For a Free Tibet- India

Sustainable Holistic Development Foundation (SUHODE)

Taiwan Kenkyu Rondan 台湾研究フォーラム

Tanzania Human Rights Defenders’s Coalition

Tata Trusts

The Lesbian and Gay Association of Liberia (LEGAL)

The Rights Practice

The Society to Help Returnees to North Korea

The Tibet Support Committee, Denmark

Think Differently Center

Tibet Committee of Fairbanks, Alaska and Alaskans for Tibet

Tibet Justice Center

Tibet Support Group Ireland

TOHKnews

Toronto Association for Democracy in China

Transitional Justice Working Group (TJWG)

T'ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights

UCV

Una Ventana a la Libertad

United  Belize Advocacy Movement

University of Waterloo Lion Rock Spirit

Uyghur Association of Victoria, Australia

Uyghur Human Rights Project

Uyghur Projects Foundation

Uyghur Refugee Relief Fund

Uyghur Rights Advocacy Project

VAJ Vietnamese Association in Japan

Vancouver Society in Support of Democratic Movement

Vancouver Society of Freedom, Democracy & Human Rights for China

Vancouverites Concerned About Hong Kong

Verein für sozial-ökologischen Wandel

VETO! Human Rights Defenders' Network

Viet Tan

Vietnam Human Rights Network

Visual Artists Guild

Wanawake Tanzania Tunaweza (Tanzania Women We Can)

Witness Radio - Uganda

Women Against Violence and Exploitation in Society

Women's March Global

Working Group on India and the UN (WGHR)

World Federalist Movement/Institute for Global Policy

World Uyghur Congress

Yayasan Lembaga Bantuan Hukum Indonesia (YLBHI) / Indonesia Legal Aid Foundation

yBy Media

Young Queer Alliance

Youth Empowerment and Development Association-sierra

Комитет "Гражданское содействие"

Московская Хельсинкская группа

Правозащитный совет Санкт-Петербурга

Сахаровский Центр

チベット問題を考える会　Japan Committee for Tibet

مرصد الصحراء للسلم والديمقراطية وحقوق الإنسان

台灣南社

台灣客社

【台灣民間支援香港協會】 Taiwanese Civil Aid to HKers

國會調查兵團

日本ウイグル協会

華人基督徒公義團契 Chinese Christian Fellowship of Righteousness

香港黎明, Dawn of Hong Kong, 香港の夜明け

*Signatories totaled 321 organizations. However, 39 organizations chose to remain anonymous.